


Day Five - The Invisible Lift

by Fafsernir



Series: Torchwood Fest [7]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Canary Wharf Battle, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-22 13:19:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8287180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fafsernir/pseuds/Fafsernir
Summary: Written for Torchwood Fest, Day Five: The invisible lift





	

**Author's Note:**

> Sadly for you, this is unbeta'd, sorry!  
> Also I was going to write something more classical, like some Janto snogging on the lift and the team sort of rolling their eyes, but then I came up with this, I hope you like it ;)

When Jack woke up, he was alone. Which wouldn't have usually surprised him, but he was sure that Ianto had stayed over the night before, and he liked spending an hour or two in the bed with him before having to work. Too bad for this time. But then, where was Ianto?

He rubbed his eyes, yawned, and straightened up. Then realised he didn't have his vortex manipulator and panicked. He put on some trousers and grabbed a white t-shirt, almost jumping out of his bunker. He didn't call Ianto, just in case, and looked around, then noticed the note on his desk.

“ _Didn't want to wake you. Look up._ ”was written in Ianto's handwriting.

That was enigmatic. And Jack stupidly looked up, in his office. Then he thought that maybe his office didn't have anything up, and thought of the conference room, but he understood what Ianto had meant when he saw the invisible lift in mid-air, Ianto sitting on it. Jack sighed, mentally counted it had been the eighth time already – though he had been in the Hub only once – and wondered, again, what Ianto was doing. Maybe some yoga. But he sure didn't need to be in mid-air for this, right? Maybe it was some strange 21st-century Earth belief. But it was rather rare to find elevators that stopped like this...

Jack left him nevertheless, and when Tosh went in, he put his finger to his lips and pointed at Ianto. Tosh smiled and nodded in silence. Ianto was down before anyone else could enter, and neither Jack nor Tosh asked him anything. At least not in front of the others. Jack totally mentioned the subject again as Ianto was cleaning the Hub, after everyone had gone home.

“So did you find anything, sitting on the lift like a mad man?” Jack smiled, trying to sound casual and not inquisitive.

“Nothing interesting,” Ianto shrugged, but Jack didn't let go that easily this time.

“Do you like the view?”

“If you want to ask it, just shoot the question, Jack,” Ianto rolled his eyes but he was smiling slightly.

“Okay, what are you doing up there?”

“Now, you'd like to know...”

“That's why I'm asking.”

“It's silly, really,” Ianto shrugged. He then left the room, Jack in tow, and went to the kitchen to clean the mugs he had taken from the tables.

“I won't laugh,” Jack said with the kicked-puppy look he knew he mastered. Sometimes.

“I'm trying to get rid of a stupid fear.”

Jack frowned, analysing the sentence, then gasped. “You're afraid of heights?!” Ianto nodded, wiping his hands dry. Jack followed him into the conference room where Ianto cleaned the table.

“It's not much of a fear, I just really don't like being up and don't feel reassured...”

“Since when? It's not in your file.”

“Almost a year,” Ianto whispered, avoiding Jack's eyes.

“A year? That recent? What happened?”

“Doesn't matter,” Ianto smiled, and Jack knew it did matter.

He stayed silent for a while, thinking. Then he realised.

“Is it because of Canary Wharf?”

“Maybe,” Ianto shrugged again, finishing wiping off the table. He went back to the kitchen to dry the mugs and put them where they belonged.

“Were you afraid before Torchwood?”

“Jack. Straight to the point, again,” Ianto rolled his eyes.

“Well you're not helping me guessing. Okay okay... you worked in the higher levels?”

“No, the doctors said it was an aftermath of the Battle. I've been trying to fight it, but I realised I'm still not really at ease. So I'm trying with the lift.”

Jack took Ianto's hand as he was going to grab the last mug. He silently asked Ianto if he was okay, and Ianto smiled with a quick nod. At Jack's perplexed look, he rolled his eyes, amused, and kissed him briefly.

“Do you need help?” Jack asked.

“You know any alien way to fight this?”

“No, but I can support you. C'mere,” Jack smiled and made it look like Ianto had a choice – even though Jack already held his hand – and dragged him through the Hub to stop on the platform. Ianto tensed slightly. “But why didn't I ever notice this?”

“Adrenaline allowed me to control it. Which means I might shake, but at least I'm not noticing the thing moving or the ground below...”

“We made out on this elevator,” Jack thought aloud.

Ianto shrugged and Jack kissed him. Snogged him. He actually wouldn't let him go, and Ianto gave in. When they parted, Jack looked at him, still close enough for Ianto to feel Jack heavy breathing against his lips.

“So?” Jack asked and Ianto pulled a face, as if thinking.

“Yup, rather good kiss.”

“Still afraid?”

“Well I wouldn't know. You kinda forgot to actually activate the lift so I'm pretty sure I'm doing all right so far,” Ianto shook his head with a smile he couldn't contain when Jack looked around and sighed.

“Don't make fun of your tired leader.”

“Mmh, right, poor old man...”

“Hey, you were the one distracting me!”

“Oh so now it's my fault?”

“Perfectly, because...” Jack had activated the lift while talking but instantly stopped when Ianto turned white in a second. “Wow, you really are scared...”

“I fucking hate you,” Ianto muttered between gritted teeth.

He then closed his eyes and took deep breaths. Jack put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“Are you going to punish me?” Jack grinned. He stopped the lift, way higher than where Ianto usually stopped.

“Jack! That's way too much...” Ianto said, completely ignoring Jack's attempt of humour.

“Okay deep breaths. Ianto, look at me. Now concentrate. You liked climbing up on trees when you were young, didn't you?” Jack asked, smiling when Ianto shrugged. Not a yes, but not a no either. Maybe not the best memory, but at least it included heights. “Can you picture that for me? Add some handsome man in the memory if it's helping you.”

“For all I know you could have been creepily spying on me when I was young...”

“What? Hey, focus! And I'm not a creepy pervert, for your information.”

“Should I note that down? In 'Jack's informations to know about'.”

“You might have checked that before dating me.”

“Are we dating now?”

“Ugh... Well. We're going on dates,” Jack stuttered. “I just assumed...”

“Right.”

“I mean if you...”

“No, that's okay.”

“Okay.”

“Jack?”

“Yeah?”

“What about the trees?”

“What trees? Oh, yes. Well,” Jack took a deep breath to gather his thoughts and looked beneath them. Which was the wrong thing to do as Ianto followed his stare and stilled instantly. “Think of the tree, Ianto.”

“Can we please stop?” he whispered and Jack nodded, quickly pressing some buttons on his vortex manipulator. When the lift took his position back on the floor, Ianto didn't move.

“Are you okay?” Jack asked, concerned. He had never seen him like this, and almost sighed of relief when Ianto weakly nodded. “You need anything? Coffee?”

“Worst idea ever right now... I'm fine,” Ianto smiled after a few seconds. He still was rather livid, but at least he had enough energy left to smile. “Next time, let me deal with it my own way, okay?”

“I'm just trying to help...”

“I know, I appreciate it, but never again.”

“You should have told me,” Jack said, helping Ianto to walk to the couch where he sank.

“Didn't think it mattered,” Ianto shrugged once he was well-seated.

“It always does. You've been up in buildings before.”

“It's different. As long as I have four walls, or three and a window, I'm fine. Even planes, I'm doing okay, I just hate roofs and basically anything that implies that you can fall if you miss a step,” Ianto tried to explain something he didn't entirely understand himself. It was rather new, and didn't happen every time. If he were too busy thinking, or pressed by the time, he usually wouldn't notice before he was already leaving the roof.

“But you've already been on roofs,” Jack noted.

“Well that doesn't mean I felt at ease.”

“Oh... Okay. You're sure you don't need my help?”

“I'm fine.”

“Okay then how about we head out and eat something nice and spend the night at yours?”

“That sounds like a good thing to do,” Ianto nodded with a smile. Definitely a better solution than standing on the lift, trying to fight his fear.

 


End file.
